Rebuild
by Impulse5
Summary: Carli has some information about a secret GenoMex operation six months ago that can be the start to perfect the Team's DNA. Come on, Review! Lexa's not that bad!
1. Return

* * *In Sanctuary* * *  
  
Lexa Pierce was typing on the computer, suddenly, the door to the garage opened. She looked up, but instead of seeing Brennan, Shalimar, or Jesse, she saw a woman about twenty seven or twenty six. She wore tight leather pants and spaghetti strap red strap.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Lexa asked.  
  
"Just about to ask you the same question," the woman said. "Oh---Lexa Pierce, got it now. Seen Shalimar, Brennan, or Jesse? I'm a friend, used to be anyway."  
  
"Wait, you can't just walk in here and ask for them."  
  
"Can't I? . . . I've been here before."  
  
Shalimar walked down the stairs. "Who the hell are you?"  
  
"Some friend," Lexa mentioned.  
  
The woman passed her a glance. "Shalimar, you probably don't remember me. God, the last time you saw me I was about thirteen years younger, and a foot shorter . . ."  
  
Shalimar raised her eyebrows. "I---"  
  
"How about this . . . strange obsession with JLA, or the name Carli Connors."  
  
"You're not Carli, she died about six months ago at the age of fourteen," Shalimar argued.  
  
"There's a really good explanation for that one . . ."  
  
"There better be or you're gonna---"  
  
"Get a nice kick in the ass, I hear you," she replied. "Could you get Jesse and Brennan down here too, 'cuz I don't feel like explaining the whole story another time."  
  
Carli jumped up and sat down on the counter. "After Carli died, Mason abducted Carli's corpse and used her DNA to clone her, so he could reconstruct her memory, powers, everything so he could use her as an agent or an informant at the location of Mutant X, whatever. Well, that's where I come in. He reconstructed my DNA so that I'd age so fast that six months later I'm 27. When he died, I was in the last stage at the GSA academy. The GSA departed, and I was left alone so I stayed a couple of weeks on the streets.  
  
"He didn't want me to have Carli's memory 'cause it could've triggered some humanity. But I got in touch with my powers and remembered everything about Carli's life. So I took the name of Carli Connors, deleted all files about her being almost fifteen now and that she was my age and then I came here when I remembered how nice you guys were to me."  
  
"But we cloaked your vision when we brought you here."  
  
"I thought of that, but then I saw that you have left a paper trail. Since Eckhart died, no one's been lying to the press about what has been going on so I just tracked it here."  
  
"Oh, I guess we should start covering us then," Jesse responded. "Uh---Emma's dead, you know that, don't you?"  
  
"Of course, the day that she died, the whole GSA was in an uproar because Mason really wanted her to the day. And he was gonna clone her too, but right when they got her corpse, he was "mysteriously" killed. Mmm, gosh, I wonder who would have the courage to do that," Carli said sarcastically.  
  
"What happened to her corpse after he died?" Shalimar asked.  
  
"I buried it, duh, when I remembered what Carli's life was like. I went back and buried her, you can visit her grave. It's unmarked just incase someone took over the GSA. But I remember where it is."  
  
"Thanks, uh, what should we call you?" Jesse asked.  
  
She stood up. "Well, Carli, is fine. I mean, I am her, really. Just an older version, and can kick ass with some hand to hand combat."  
  
"Taught you that in the GSA, did they?" Lexa asked, skeptically.  
  
"Listen, sweetheart, I know you're thinking that I'm working for the GSA. There is no GSA!"  
  
"That's the thing, if there was, you'd probably be back there fighting with them," Lexa argued.  
  
"And if Adam was here, you'd probably wouldn't be." Carli argued back. "But he's not and it's gone. Things happen, Ms. Pierce."  
  
Lexa closed her mouth and shook her head. "You've been fighting for the enemy."  
  
"Oh well excuse me, Ms. Thing. Until a few days ago, I didn't know who was good and who was bad. Why don't you sue me, that would be fun," Carli snapped.   
  
Shalimar made a slight smile and the remark. "Calm down, we know. Lexa's new, sorta."  
  
"Yeah, I know all about her, and just from the computer files."  
  
"I'm sure the GSA taught you that," Lexa commented.  
  
"You'd be right, Lexa," Carli replied.   
  
"Can you tell us everything about the clones?" Jesse asked. "I'd like to know what Eckhart was doing before he died."  
  
"He called it the M.A.P. . . Mutant Annex Program."  
  
"Annex?" Jesse asked.  
  
"It means: to add on. He changed it from an adjective to a noun, that's what he called us Human Add Ons. Annex. There were supposed to be four, including Emma. Each with mental powers, telepathy, telekinesis, telempathy, and psychokinesis. So that the four of us, used on one team could make them do anything we wanted. The Mason Eckhart's lame copy of Mutant X, if you think about it.  
  
"He had already cloned two before me. They were the roughdrafts, while I was the "perfected" one because he used Adam's disk that he got from you to perfect my DNA before I ended up like the others."  
  
"What happened to the others?" Shalimar asked.  
  
"Because his work was so sloppy on our DNA, their mutated DNA was so unstable that they died. There was only a six month life span if you look into it."  
  
"But I bet Mason Eckhart made doubles," Brennan stated.  
  
"And you'd be right, Brennan. Because he did, but since their powers are telekinesis and psychokinesis, they can't remember anything from their hosts' former lives."  
  
"Host?"  
  
"Well, we only live because we're based on another's life before us. Making us almost parasite-like."  
  
"Eckhart just thought about everything."  
  
"Except the perfected DNA, he didn't perfect their DNA so they only live for six months. But they were made three months ago."  
  
"What were you guys made for, anyway?" Shalimar asked.  
  
"To be perfect assassins, partially. Or mercenaries."  
  
"Great, so there are some very powerful mutants running on the loose."  
  
"Uh--Annexes. Not mutants, we're very different from mutants."  
  
"Uh---mutated DNA, that makes you mutants."  
  
"Our DNA isn't mutated, for it to be mutated it would have to change from what it originally used to be. We were born with our DNA like that, making us Annexes."  
  
"OK, Annex."  
  
"So what does these Annexes want?"  
  
"Anything, death, blood, money. Our DNA was also changed to make us more dependent on material things so if we ran away, Eckhart could find us from looking up big purchases. He also changed it so that we weren't so independent too, we can follow orders."  
  
"You don't look so marine-like to me," Shalimar asked.  
  
"I can remember my host's life, making me like a human."  
  
"So they made you almost machine."  
  
"Yeah, except not so indestructible or invulnerable."   
  
"And you were gonna tell us this, when?" Lexa asked.  
  
"When you stopped questioning me, good thing Jesse asked or I'd never have time to, huh?" Carli asked. "Listen, they won't act out unless some ex-GS agent tries to control them. That won't give us a lot of time because everyone wants control of the GSA since Eckhart died."  
  
"Why?" Lexa asked.  
  
"Power struggle . . . everyone hated Eckhart, even more than you. Since he's gone, everyone wants to have his spot and reconstruct the GSA."  
  
"We can't let that happen," Lexa commanded.  
  
"Obviously . . ." Carli remarked.  
  
* * *Shalimar's Bedroom* * *  
  
Carli walked around, touching Shalimar's bed posts . . . remembering. Shalimar came inside and crossed her arms. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
Carli didn't answer the question right away. Her fingers glided across Shalimar's dresser. "I remember . . . she came in here. The last day she was alive . . . I don't only know what she did and what she was thinking, I also know how she felt while doing it."  
  
"How? You're not telempathic."  
  
"Emma could read someone's thoughts if a lot of emotion was tied into them. Me too, I can know people's emotions if their thoughts are closely knitted with them."  
  
"Do you remember how she died?" Shalimar asked.  
  
"Like a hero . . . she was so brave, for a young girl. She wasn't afraid of anything."  
  
"Yeah, she wasn't."  
  
"You were there when she died, I saw through her eyes. You were so sad, I don't really understand much about emotions. But I know the difference between happiness and sorrow."  
  
"I'm sorry about what Eckhart did to you . . . I mean here."  
  
Carli finally turned around. "Me too. That's why we have to stop the GSA from rebuilding assets or it'll happen to some other." 


	2. Cryptic

* * Sanctuary ** *  
Lexa typed on the laptop, researching top stories involving Genomex. "Well, I can tell you that GSA have been very sloppy in covering their story on rebuilding. I'm not Jesse but I could even break into their database."  
"What have you found?" Brennan asked, fishing through Lucky Charms' box for the sugary marshmallows.  
Carli stole the box from Brennan and grabbed a handful. Brennan snatched it back and gave Carli a stony glare. "Just because you share the same DNA, doesn't mean you are Carli."  
"Tough crowd . . ."  
"Well . . . Carli was right, they are gathering allies to help rebuild. Their computer files are a little shaky . . ."  
Carli finished her Lucky Charms. "Mason programmed the data files to self destruct if someone entered the wrong password. I had to rebuild it manually before I left."  
"I wish you hadn't. Because it'll be a little hard to get through the cryptic codes."  
"It's not fool proof . . . my training wasn't complete when I left. Just getting into the computer class when got that little premonition."  
"Right . . . damn. It's tricky; a firewall is protecting the last file. Must be important. Do you remember what information was in it?" Lexa asked. Carli checked the name and shrugged. "That one never collapsed. I didn't touch that one, at the time I thought it was a blessing that it didn't, but now I'm getting the feeling that Eckhart wanted us to find it." "Or someone else . . ." Brennan decided. "Like Dominique, for example." "Who?" Carli asked. "We found out about her almost two weeks ago. Supposedly, she knows more about genetics than Eckhart and Adam combined," Brennan explained. "That can't be good . . . but I'm sure that Eckhart knew that we'd go looking for it," Carli explained. "But how would be know that he would die, exactly?" Lexa asked. "Because I told him, I had a premonition about three hours before he died. I told him, he went to his office for about three hours then he disappeared." "He didn't want to fight it? Have someone protect him?" Lexa asked. "Seems a little farfetched." Carli stood straight. "Are you calling me a liar, Lexa?" she asked. "My premonitions can't be changed, because most of my premonitions are supposed to happen." "Right . . . I still can't believe that Eckhart would give up like that," Brennan said. "I was there . . . he didn't seem so willing to die when I went after him." "I didn't say he wasn't going to let it happen, I said, that most of premonitions happen. And he knew it, he probably prepared that file incase he did die." "It could be his Last Will and Testament, ever think of that?" Lexa asked. "I didn't think his heart could handle giving someone something of value," Shalimar responded as she walked in. "Me neither, unless it was his little creations, the Annexes." "The only thing I can imagine that he would give to us is that stupid white thermal coat he wore all the time," Carli said, making them laugh a little. "I hated that." Jesse motioned for Lexa to get out of the chair. "Let me handle this one, there's nothing I can't decode." "That's a little arrogant, and I'm just saying," Shalimar stated. "What? It's true!" Jesse exclaimed. Carli didn't know if that was supposed to funny, because she didn't really understand human emotion. Shalimar passed a glance at Carli, a little confused. Sometimes, she could sense fear and other strong emotions, but she didn't feel anything from Carli. Not even a little, like she did from others. She felt comfort that she didn't feel fear in her, or happiness, sadness, or anger. Then she felt sorry for Carli, Shalimar didn't know if Carli could ever laugh like her host, the real Carli, did. Shalimar remembered six months ago, that the real Carli would make Shalimar's heart jump into her throat with her emotions. Shalimar was almost an empathy, that's what Adam said because of her heightened senses. She could smell fear, like an animal, she knew if the person was happy or sad. I think I'm the only one who understands Carli Shalimar thought. Brennan, Jesse, or Lexa don't understand what it's like to have to be strong all the time. If Shalimar wasn't so strong or confidant, she'd probably be a basket case all of the time. But she had to be strong, for all of them. Carli shuttered when she heard Shalimar's last thoughts. She was tempted to reply telepathically but she knew that that would just unsettle Shalimar's understanding of Carli. "Why don't we just talk to the GSA? Carli, you can go undercover as your old self---`" "That won't be too hard for her," Lexa snapped. Jesse turned to Lexa, just out of sick pleasure. "Lexa, why don't you go with her?" Lexa and Carli both jumped up in surprise. "What?" they said in unison. "Hell no!"  
  
GSA Headquarters  
Carli walked inside, she held her security card in her hand. Lexa was  
invisible, behind her. The security guard knew Carli by name. "Where the  
hell have you been, little girl? I'm supposed to be your babysitter!" he  
joked.  
Carli smiled. "Patrick . . . it's only been three days."  
"It has seemed like forever, little duck," Patrick said in a thick  
Irish accent. "Aren't you supposed to be like thirty by now?"  
"I stopped my aging process before I left, I'm going to check on my  
baby then I'm gone for some lunch."  
"If you want to join me for some McDonalds, you just say so," Patrick  
stated.  
Carli walked on. "Patrick, stop thinking that," she said, not turning.  
Lexa passed Patrick with a stony glare and followed Carli.  
  
After they passed the team of computer agents, Lexa became visible  
again. "What baby?" she asked.  
"My computer system I created, it has control of all databases. This  
is where you can get to that file," Carli replied. "Hurry up though, I  
want to check my email."  
Lexa smiled a little and sat in the comfy Italian office chair and  
leaned back. "Eckhart sure did like you."  
"He only liked us because he could control us. Mutants in his employ  
still had free will because they had their personality. We didn't."  
"That must've been hell."  
"Yeah, but we didn't know that the others were different until I  
recovered Eckhart's file on the project. Shame too, because the boys  
didn't believe me."  
"Boys?"  
"The other Annexes, they're boys. Sean and Andrew, they're seventeen  
now. But just as strong as I am."  
"They're only seventeen?"  
"Yes, they're not as old as I am, remember?" Carli asked.  
Lexa nodded and began to work. "All right . . . do you know any  
passwords? From the other files?"  
"They were all different, but they each had something in common with  
each other and the genetic program."  
"That could be anything!" Lexa exclaimed.  
"No it couldn't, listen DNA, pioneer. Remember things that Adam said  
about the project, or Eckhart."  
Lexa dropped her head in her hands. "I don't know."  
"There's sort of a time issue here," Carli responded.  
Lexa glared at Carli. "Well, why don't you do something? Like try and  
use your powers to read Mason's mind at the time."  
"It doesn't work that way, I can't have premonitions at will. It's  
only when I touch something of his. And this is my computer, and then I  
might not see what I want to. I'm not psionic, I'm telepathic."  
"Right, tell me the difference later," Lexa stated.  
Jesse got fed up of their arguing, and checked the cameras that he was  
monitoring in the Double Helix. : Hurry up! Security guard coming up the  
hall:  
Carli turned around towards Lexa. "Go invisible, I'll try and figure  
it out."  
Lexa went invisible just as Patrick walked inside.  
"Are you going to McDonalds with me?"  
"Sorry, Patrick, a little busy here. But maybe tomorrow." Patrick  
walked out. "When hell freezes over, probably."  
Lexa went visible and sat down in another chair. "Great, how long do  
you think we'll be here?"  
"Maybe an hour," Carli replied. "If we're lucky."  
"Just where I want to spend my day . . . with you."  
"Well it's no picnic for me, kiddo. I'd rather go to McDonalds with  
Patrick!" Carli exclaimed.  
"Me too." 


	3. Files

* * *  
  
Carli was typing rapidly on the computer, while Lexa was making shapes with lasers using her powers. Lexa sighed and finally got finished with he leopard. Suddenly, Carli stood up and raised her hands above her head. "Finally!"  
  
Lexa made the leopard disappear and looked up. "What?"   
  
Carli sat back down. "I finally got the firewall off, I got the file."  
  
"What is it?" Lexa asked as she moved on the other side of the desk.   
  
"It's a file on the M.A.P. project about each of our hosts, their names and their info."  
  
"So, how does that help?" Lexa asked.  
  
"That means we can find them. Even though their DNA has been modified, they could act impulsively like their hosts. In their personalities."  
  
"Why the hell would he block that with so many bytes to melt the hardrive?" Lexa asked.   
  
"How would I know? . . . No one understood him," Carli replied. "Let me upload this to the Helix and we can leave."   
  
"Great," Lexa said.  
  
Carli looked at the door. "Someone's coming. Hurry up, go invisible." Lexa sighed and disappeared just as the door opened, an old man pushed a cart into the room. A shaking, wizened hand grabbed the trash can.   
  
"Hi, Mr. Luis. How are you today?"  
  
After a second, he turned around. "Oh, Ms. Connors. Didn't see you there, you know, it is after hours."  
  
"Yes, sir. I'm just checking my email," Carli lied. Mr. Luis nodded and backed the cart away.   
  
Lexa became visible. "Dang, I thought this was a high-rank establishment. Why didn't they fire him?"  
  
"I don't know, he's been here since GenoMex started out and everyone loves him."   
  
Jesse's voice echoed in Lexa's mind. 'Lexa, we got it, let's go.'  
  
Carli heard his voice. "Let's go." She grabbed the uploading device and threw it to Lexa.   
  
"Do you think that Dominion will give us some info about Andy and Cameron?" Carli asked.  
  
"Is that the names of the others?" Lexa asked.  
  
Carli nodded.  
  
"Don't know, depends on what they think."  
  
Carli nodded and walked outside and looked down the hall for Mr. Luis or Patrick and then walked outside.  
  
* * *  
  
Shalimar, Brennan, and Jesse were hovered over the main computer in the Helix. "Their names are Andy Harrison and Cameron Wills . . . they were the exact age of Carli---the real Carli," Jesse recovered. "Exact birthday, but Andy and Cameron weren't cloned until three months after Carli was."  
  
"Yeah, their about 24 now," Carli explained.   
  
"Whoah . . . these are the exact plans to perfect their DNA."  
  
"Do you think it would work on us?" Shalimar asked.  
  
Carli shook head. "No, our DNA has some missing links in it. Yours are just constructed differently, but it's a start."  
  
Lexa stood up. "Wait, wait, wait. We're not going to save them are we?" she asked.  
  
Carli's eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?"  
  
"Because, they're dangerous," Lexa stated.  
  
Shalimar winced and shook her head. 'Not a good thing to say' she thought.  
  
Carli stood up, obviously threatened. "I would think that mutants would understand and not make the mistake of not trusting things they don't understand."  
  
"I didn't mean it that way," Lexa started. "They don't know about their hosts, like you do."  
  
Carli sat down. "Listen, I grew up with those two. Their like family, and I won't give up on them. Whether if they can remember or not."  
  
Jesse faced the control panel. "Okay . . . let's get back to Sanctuary."  
  
Lexa sat down and gave Carli a threatening look and then looked out the window. 


	4. Reunion

* * *  
  
Carli pulled on her leather coat. "I'm going, I can convince them to come here."  
  
Lexa stood in front of Carli. "Oh no! Not here! I can barely stand to help save them, but keeping them here?"   
  
Carli exhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a second. "Listen . . . Lexa. I'm trying not to blow up right now, but let me say something, you are not the boss, you do not boss me or them around. I don't care how long you've known about this place, or how much information you know, and I don't give a damn what the Dominion says or pays to this establishment. Any questions?"  
  
Lexa licked her lips and transferred her weight onto her back foot. "Not really."  
  
Shalimar could cut the tension with a knife. Jesse stepped between them. "OK, Carli, take this . . ." Jesse handed her a ring. "Just for communication."  
  
Carli nodded and slid it on her finger and pushed past Lexa, bumping her shoulder. Lexa waited until Carli was gone. "I really don't like her."  
  
Shalimar put her hands in her backpockets. "She's right though. You just came in here bossing us around."  
  
Lexa lifted her hands. "Listen, I can't deal with this right now. I have to follow Carli to see if she's actually doing what she said." Lexa disappeared around the corner. Jesse walked over to the computer while Shalimar and Brennan looked at each other.   
  
* * *  
  
Carli increased her telepathic signal to try and pinpoint the exact location of Andy and Cameron. Then she stopped, 'the mall'. She raised the ring halfway up to her mouth. "They're at the mall on Preston and Lyon."   
  
'Okay' Jesse replied. Carli drove the black Porsche into the parking lot and walked the rest of the way into the malls. People were screaming and running out of the doors, yelling 'freaks' and obscenities that made Carli cringe at what they were thinking. As soon as she got out of the way, she saw Andy and Cameron on the Merry-Go-'Round. They stepped off.  
  
"Carli! Why isn't it the mind melding-telepath herself!" Andy squealed. He stumbled on what looked like a manakin from a store and fell to his knees. "We were wondering when you were gonna find us!"  
  
Cameron was just as wobbly. "Yeah! It's not fun without big sister!" They started laughing insanely.   
  
Carli didn't have to poke in their mind to see what their behavior was about. "How much have you drank?" she asked.  
  
"What? We haven't drank anything . . . in the past hour," Andy mumbled.  
  
"What are you guys doing? Terrorizing people like that?" Carli asked. Andy grabbed her hand and pulled himself up and Cameron leaned on him. A half empty bottle of alcohol floated towards Carli.   
  
"Here, it'll make you feel better," Andy replied. Carli grabbed it and threw it in a trashcan next to them.  
  
Lexa came in through the door and spotted Andy, Cameron, and Carli talking to eachother. Carli was upset and Andy and Cameron were drunk.   
  
Carli crossed her arms. "Get on your knees, you can't listen to me when you're like that." Andy and Cameron looked at eachother. "Do what I say." Andy and Cameron dropped to their knees, Carli placed a hand on each other their heads. She closed her eyes and her eyebrows furrowed. Lexa didn't know what she was doing exactly, but it worked. About twenty seconds later, Cameron and Andy got to their feet and looked around.  
  
"We sure made a mess," Andy replied. "Come on M.A.P. ads, let's beat it before the officials get here."  
  
"I got somewhere where we can go, it's safe."  
  
"Really? Where?" 


End file.
